Vehicles, and in particular an automotive vehicle, frequently include features that enhance the comfort of an occupant of the vehicle. One example of such a feature is a heated seat for warming the seated occupant, especially in cold weather. Another example is a heated steering wheel, to warm a vehicle driver's hands.
It is known in the art to provide a heated steering wheel that includes a heating element disposed between a frame portion of the steering wheel and an outer wrap portion of the steering wheel. One type of heating element is a conductive wire mesh made of a copper or beryllium material. A characteristic of the wire mesh is that it has a positive temperature coefficient. Thus, as a current is distributed through the wire mesh heating element, the temperature of the heating element increases, which increases its resistance slightly. The current draw eventually decreases and levels off as the desired temperature is reached.
Although the above heated steering wheel has worked well, a characteristic is the length of time it takes to reach the desired temperature. Therefore, there is a need in the art to provide an improved heated steering wheel with a quicker warm-up period.